Dear Dayre,
For any tourist to Seoul, Dongdaemun is a must-visit, especially for the shopaholics! 😍
#yinagoestoseoul
It was actually super sunny in the afternoon, so I thought it was a good idea to shop in air-conditioned comfort at the shopping malls instead of sweating it out on the streets… 💦
Breakfast/lunch was at Myeongdong Gyoja which is supposed to be famous for their dumplings (Mandu) and handmade noodles!
The dumplings were nice but not wow, though. I feel that we can get nicer dumplings in SG!
The noodles are really different from the usual, they were silky smooth and soft, but not "nua" if you know what I mean! YZ prefers al dente noodles so I think this wasn't really his type of food but I thought the noodles were quite addictive 😋
Randomly, why are the portions in Korea all so huge? 😱 We saw two Korean ladies sharing a basket of dumplings and with one bowl of noodles each OMG. YZ and I shared one bowl of noodles and one basket of dumplings and it was just nice for two of us.
Back to shopping at DDM.. My two must visit malls are Migliore and Doota!
Migliore is more of a Platinum Mall kind of style with many many tiny shops, some selling similar things! And also the price markup can be insane so never ever agree to the first price you're quoted.
Also, most of the time, once you ask for the price, the shopkeeper/salesperson will start to get serious so DONT ask for the price yet unless you are really certain you want to get that piece!
Once you ask for the price and start bargaining, you should already be sure you want to get the piece, because shopkeepers can turn very unfriendly and nasty once they realise you don't have intentions to buy anymore. Soooo… Just remember to stay friendly and neutral regardless and don't start haggling or ask for the price unless you are certain you're buying.
Doota however, is more high-end and the first level has got little local designer boutiques with some really gorgeous and expensive stuff! 😍😍😍
I bought my $280 skirt from Doota previously and this time round I got a skirt and a dress from the same label.. Super chio and unique designs! But not the super wearable sort hahaha 🙈 Still, there's lots to see at Doota and it's not as messy and confusing as Migliore which makes for a less tiring shopping experience.
I can't believe I didn't take any pictures during dinner.. 😱😱😱 I think I was too zoned out! We went back to the same army stew restaurant and ordered a pork and octopus stir-fry set that came with beef bulgogi and mussels soup and bibimbap!
Anyway, I don't know what's the restaurant name, but it's above a boutique called "Nude" along one of the smaller streets in Myeongdong!
Here! Anyone can read Korean? 😅
Ended off with more street food: yummy custard filled churros! 😋 They were super expensive.. 3500won for one? But mmmmmmmmmm… So good!
Super shiok.
Super shiok.
I forgot to mention.. The best part about DDM is that it opens til 4am!! Except Mondays I think? (please google to verify) So if you want to squeeze in a spot of shopping and you're short for time, just pop over to DDM even if it's past midnight! 👍👍👍